MILKING-MACHINES.

Waipa Post, Volume III, Issue 120, 18 June 1912, Page 4

MILKING-MACHINES.

DEFENDERS OF THE SYSTEM. The milking machine came in for a rather severe handling in the annual report of the South Island Dairy Association, but the annual meeting was not in entire agreement with the report on this question. During a short discussion on the references in the report, Mr D. R. Hunter said he did not see eye to eye with the secretary in regard to milking machines. He was a great user of these machines himself. He used four machines in milking 80 or 90

cows, and considered them a great blessing. If it had not been for the machines he would have had to'go out of it. It was the same with other large suppliers at Edendale. In his own case, it took a man over four hours to clean the machines. He believed that the machines, in the hands of a man who used them properly, would produce milk that was better than the average hand milk. They might as well close the tion up if they were to give up the machines. ("Hear, hear.") The milking machines had come to stay, and they might as well try to get rid of the steam engine. No doubt, they must be kept

clean, and in that respect the clause in the report bearing on the subject would do good. Mr Bacon said he could not altogether endorse the remarks made by Mr Hunter. He thought there would be some trouble in thti future over the milking machines. These machines were now coming into very general use, and were getting into the hands of careless individuals. The only remedy was either for factory managers to go round and inspect the machines, or for inspectors to go round. There must be some inspection to keep the machines up to the mark. Mr Ward said he thought it was quite wrong to condemn the machines. It was the man who handled the machines who should be condemned.

Mr Ward said he thought it was quite wrong to condemn the machines. It was the man who handled the machines who should be condemned. Mr Wilson said he thought that if the directors would uphold their managers, and tell them to take nothing but first-class milk, the machines would be kept clean.

Mr Maher said milking machines must be kept clean. It was absurd that factory managers should go round to inspect the machines. A machine might be clean to-day and dirty to-mor-row. Itseemed proper supervision was not made for taking milk into factories. If the machines were not in use the dairying industry would go to the dogs. As the representative of a new factory he wished to. express his thanks to the association for its assistance. Their factory could not have kept going without the help of the association. Mr Foster hoped the portion of the report condemning the milk-ing-machines would be withdrawn. It jivas possible with steam plant to clean a machine in ten minutes.

The chairman (Mr John Gray) j said they had had enough now ] about the milking-machines. He j did not mind saying that he was going in for a milking-machine himself. When he told this recently to one of the principal cheese-makers the advice he got was this : " Keep your machine clean, and clean to kill," which meant clean with hot water. As ■ for hand-milking, it was necessary to wash the hands after milking eacli cow. He knew what milking was ; he had been milking all his life.